This invention relates to covers for infant and/or child seats, and, in one form, to infant/child seats for use in vehicles such as cars, aircraft, and the like. The infant/child seat may be a personal infant/child carrier used in the home, or carried or used with a stroller. However, the cover of the invention for use with the infant/child seats may also be used in many other contexts, including general home use.
Infant/child seats are well known and extensively used by parents of young children, ranging in age from new born infants and toddlers all the way up to older children who may be ten or eleven years of age. A typical infant/child seat may comprise a molded frame, often made of a hard plastic material, configured in the shape of a chair with a seat portion for sitting on and a back portion to support the back. The frame may be designed so as to fit within a vehicle, such as a car or an airplane, in such a way that it can utilize the existing seat belts in the car or airplane whereby the infant/child's seat can be firmly and securely attached to the regular car seat and frame or chassis of the vehicle. For seats for infants and/or younger children, the frame of the seat may itself attach to an intermediate base (typically included with the seat) which fits in, and may be appropriately secured to, the seat or other structure of a car or airplane. When properly installed and fastened in a vehicle, the infant/child seat is therefore securely anchored, which naturally increases the safety of the infant/child in the seat in case of an accident. In many jurisdictions, infant/child seats for children below a certain size and/or weight are mandated by local and/or federal law.
In addition to having connections which enable the infant/child seat to be anchored to the vehicle in which it is mounted, the infant/child seat will typically have its own seat belt configuration so that the infant/child can be strapped in the seat, especially when the seat itself is anchored to the vehicle. In a conventional type of infant/child seat, the seat belt configuration will comprise a pair of lateral shoulder straps over the back portion of the seat and a central seat area strap which is located between the legs of the infant/child in use. The infant/child is strapped into the infant/child seat using a shoulder strap over each of the shoulders of the infant/child, and the shoulder straps fasten to the central seat area strap, preferably with a releasable locking mechanism. The shoulder straps themselves may merge with, or converge toward, each other before locking with the central seat area strap, or they may separately be attached to the locking mechanism which would, therefore, constitute the meeting point for all three straps. This configuration may create a five point safety restraint system.
The typical infant/child seat will also have a cushioning or a mattress which will provide greater comfort to the infant/child. The cushioning will in most cases cover the seat portion as well as the back portion of the infant/child seat, and conventionally comprises a single piece shaped and dimensioned to fit the contours of at least a part of the seat portion and back portion of the infant/child seat frame. The cushioning will typically have a fabric exterior which surrounds and accommodates a soft foam or other material which is present to make the cushioning comfortable.
The cushioning is often a decorated fabric and must be properly installed on the infant/child seat frame. Thus, the cushioning will have slots or holes appropriately located to permit both the shoulder straps as well as the central area strap to pass therethrough for use on the infant/child. The slots must be properly located so that the shoulder straps and the central area strap are not functionally impeded, and the cushioning is also correctly mounted on the seat. Installing the cushioning will thus often involve the dismantling of one or more of the shoulder straps and central area strap with respect to the infant/child seat, positioning the cushioning on the frame seating area, and thereafter rethreading the shoulder and cental area straps through the slots and/or holes both in the infant/child seat as well as in the cushioning for further operation and use.
Installing the cushioning can sometimes prove a time consuming and/or complicated task, since it may involve dismantling the infant/child seat straps and then reassembling though the various slots, anchors, clasps and other types of hardware that the infant/child seat may have. There is also the risk that incorrect installation of the various straps making up the seat belt configuration could occur, compromising the effectiveness of the infant/child seat and its safety, which would of course be undesirable.
Furthermore, the cushioning often becomes dirty and requires frequent washing and cleaning in order to remove food, debris and various stains which may typically develop. As such, one option which is available with respect to infant/child seats to instal a protective or decorative cover over the cushioning of the infant/child seat, which has the effect of shielding the original cushioning. Further, different patterns of covers may be used as desired.
The problem of installation of the cover for the infant/child seat is much the same as that encountered in the installation of the cushioning itself. While slots or apertures are provided in the cover for the infant/child seat, the process of disconnecting the various seat belts and then reinstalling them in the correct manner persists.